Remote Work Policies in Academic Libraries Before, During, and Immediately After the Height of the COVID-19 Pandemic

abstract: The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 forced changes to the workplace norms of academic libraries. As the pandemic waned, it was unclear whether these would be temporary or lead to long-term changes. In Fall 2022, the authors surveyed academic library leaders about remote work at their institutions during the following time periods: pre-pandemic, at the height of the pandemic, and immediately post-pandemic. The study results show that there have been notable changes in the norms and practices around remote work in academic libraries. Those differences are seen in the decision-making processes of leaders and managers, institutional culture and language, and who is required to be on campus versus who may work remotely in academic library environments.